Vodafone and ICICI Bank bring ‘M-Pesa' to UP West

Vodafone India and ICICI Bank announced the launch of ‘M-Pesa' - a unique mobile money transfer and payment service in UP West. ‘M-Pesa' is the trademark of Vodafone. The service was formally launched by senior officials from Vodafone India-Rajiv Kohli, operations director-North, Dipankar Ghoshal, business head-UP West and Suresh Sethi, business head,M-Pesa.

‘M-Pesa' empowers the unbanked and under-banked sections of the population gain access to financial services via the mobile phone. ‘M-Pesa' effectively leverages the combined strengths of Vodafone's global expertise in the domain of mobile payments and significant distribution reach in India plus the security of financial transactions provided by ICICI Bank. This service will now be available across 137 Tehsils, 49 districts through 2800 specially trained authorized agents in UP West.

The innovative use of mobile technology makes it possible for customers to enjoy a fast, simple and secure way to transfer money and make payments.

Highlighting the relevance of ‘M-Pesa' for the residents of Uttar Pradesh West, Dipankar Ghoshal, business head, UP West, Vodafone India said, "Vodafone is always at the forefront to introduce innovative products and services that enrich the lives of our customers. We are delighted to bring to UP West, ‘M-Pesa', a world class mobile banking service, in partnership with ICICI Bank. ‘M-Pesa', is a safe, secure and convenient service to transfer money and make payments beyond the reach of traditional banking channels. For households where the earning members migrate to larger cities for earning livelihood, ‘M-Pesa' will be the best way to send money back home to their families."

Added Suresh Sethi, business head, M-Pesa, Vodafone India, "Vodafone is the world's largest and leading provider of mobile payment services through ‘M-Pesa', which offers millions of people including the unbanked and underserviced sections of society, basic financial services. Today, less than 5% of villages in India have a banking outlet. Financial inclusion is a national priority and we believe that with ‘M-Pesa', we now have the ideal offering to facilitate the same across the country in compliance with all applicable regulations."